The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) has licensed Vietnam Airlines to operate Extended Diversion Time Operations (EDTOs) aircraft with two engines, reaching 207 minutes for Boeing 787-9 aircraft and 240 minutes for Airbus A350 aircraft.

EDTO are any operation by an airplane with two or more turbine engines where the diversion time to an en-route alternate aerodrome is greater than the threshold time established by the State of the Operator, according to a definition by the International Civil Aviation Organization.

For example, if an aircraft is rated for EDTO-180, it means that it is able to fly with full load and just one engine for three hours.

The higher the EDTO rate of an airline’s aircraft is, the farther the aircraft can fly away from the alternate airport, helping the carrier to arrange a shorter, more direct route, saving time and fuel.

Currently, some airlines in the world have been licensed with EDTO of up to 300 minutes.

Vietnam Airlines is now licensed to exploit EDTO for 207 minutes for eight Boeing 787-9 planes and 240 minutes for 14 Airbus A350 aircraft, becoming the first carrier in Vietnam to achieve this milestone.

This result is equivalent to the leading airlines in the world and the region such as Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines, Japan Airlines, and Eva Air.

The authorization of EDTO-207 and EDTO-240 is thus expected to help Vietnam Airlines’ direct flights between Vietnam and the United States, which require a minimum EDTO rate of 180 minutes, to reduce flight time and fuel costs while increasing payload, according to the carrier’s Boeing 787 captain Phan Xuan Duc.

The Airbus A350 and Boeing 787-9 have been put into operation by Vietnam Airlines since July and August 2015, and were authorized by the CAAV to exploit 120-minute and 180-minute EDTO, respectively. 

In August 2021, the carrier gained the authorization for 180-minute EDTO for A350 aircraft.

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